Feel
by Wyntermajik
Summary: I cupped her face in my hands, feeling the goosebumps rise to her skin in response to my cold touch, heard her heart pick up in speed and intensity and saw the lonely look fade away into nothingness in her eyes. [EdwardxBella][Parts I to X]
1. Feel

Theme #23- Like An Art Piece for the 30 Nights community on livejournal. I thought I would go ahead and post it here, and just let you all get a peek at it, too! Also, if you have a livejournal account, I encourage you to join** twilight(down slash)fics. **It's still rather small, but I'm sure that with you all making contributions and such to it, it'll be a great success. I'll continue to add my pieces as they get done. Sadly, I don't know how long they will take, but I do hope to finish my claim as soon as possible and keep you all waiting for as little amout of time as I can manage. Now, on with the show!

**Disclaimer: **Twilight and all of it's characters are owned by Stephenie Meyer.

----------  
** Feel**

When the sky slowly begins to bleed red is when he can feel the anticipation creeping into his stone body, but it isn't until the overhead is dead and gone -leaving only an empty, black canvas-that he begins to fully _feel _the strong desire to see it.

The most beautiful piece of art in the world.

The paints used to create the accents of the beauty depicted are dark and shy, while her pale skin stands out shockingly against the background. Strokes are deep and long; the work was created with tender care and the artist was sure of what he or she wanted while creating it.

A beauty.

The creator succeeded in painting perfection.

The bravery in the heroine depicted is amazingly evident, even though her eyes are closed to cover knowing eyes and leaving her face looking nothing more then sleepily serene. A soft glow radiates from her soft-looking skin. Covers look to be pulled up and around her rounded shoulders, locking the resplendent female in their protective hold.

It's all so divine and... perfect. He feels as if he can reach out and touch it. Touch the angelic-looking creature beneath those maroon blankets and feel her. Feel a _real_ girl.

But she's far too stunning to be true -to be _real._

Even that -to think that someone could create such a elegant female with such beautiful features -with such _detail_... Was it possible, really?

Light eyes continue to stare down at the impeccably beautiful art piece -lost in it's sheer magnificence- his fingers twitching with want to just reach out and _feel_ her. To simply touch the skin of the comely beauty before him; that was all he desired. The warmth on her skin begged his icy fingers to just reach out and cool it -for him to _touch_ her.

His mind denies his un-beating heart's desires, though, and sourly reminds him that he wouldn't touch the soft skin he imagined was there. He would feel the hard, textured feel of the canvas and the slight curves of the paint upon it.

So, he stares.

Stares at the work and tries to fight the urge to touch it. The hope that it was real; that _she_ was real. That this alluring creature in this artwork was someone he could claim as his own. Someone with warmth, a beating heart and the true love he had always longed for.

It can't be fought, the hope, and silently he reaches out. Long icy fingers getting ever-closer with his slow pace. Afraid, for the first time in so many years.

_Closer, closer, closer..._

And then they touch.

Her skin is as soft and warm as he thought they would be. No, it's warmer -more inviting and comfortable. The sound of her heartbeat is soft and melodic as he runs his pale fingers over her cheek, down to her neck, and then back again. Her breathing is quiet and soothing and he finds himself caught up in the _realness_ of it all.

Slowly, her loving brown eyes open to reveal the beauty that had been hidden for too long under thin eyelids. Her voice comes out in a tired whisper and stays longer then normal in the thick, early-morning air. "Edward...?"

H smiles down at her, his hand still brushing softly against her face, "I was wrong, Bella. You're far too beautiful to be a simple piece of art."


	2. Choice

_Theme #8- One Last Date..._ for the 30 Nights community on livejournal. I thought I would go ahead and post it here, and just let you all get a peek at it, too! Also, if you have a livejournal account, I encourage you to join twilight(down slash)fics. It's still rather small, but I'm sure that with you all making contributions and such to it, it'll be a great success. I'll continue to add my pieces as they get done. Sadly, I don't know how long they will take, but I do hope to finish my claim as soon as possible and keep you all waiting for as little amount of time as I can manage. Now, on with the show!

**Disclaimer: **Twilight and all of it's characters are owned by Stephenie Meyer.

----------  
**Choice**

Her brown eyes were aglow with intense curiosity. Even under the dark cloak of the room, he could see the way they questioned him. Longingly silent for an answer.

"Please, Edward," she whined in a whisper, "I told you about my past. It's only fair that you tell me about yours."

He had to admit, he was mesmerized by the way her chocolate pools swam while she continued to please with him. It tempted him to continue to not answer, just to continue to see the way they shined in the soft light coming in from the moon outside. "My past stretches farther back then yours, Bella. Our human memories fade, remember?"

She sighed, then, and closed her eyes before snuggling closer to his hard, cold chest, "Okay, then..."

Damning himself for his uncontrollable desire to keep those warm _human_ eyes open, he slowly wrapped his harms around her small form and brought his cold lips close to her ear. He took a couple of deep breaths, letting the cool air wash over her skin and listening to the sudden increase in her heartbeat. Smirking, he brought his lips even closer to her ear before whispering, "It was in April of 1918. The exact date slips my mind, much like many of the finer details of that evening. Her name was Elizabeth, like my mother's, and I can't recall where or how I met her. She was short and dainty, but still had something to her with curly blonde hair, bright blue eyes, the physical features that many men liked in woman, in my time. To most, she was gorgeous. To me, she was troublesome and not nearly as beautiful are you are."

Bella shifted, moving her face so she could watch his expressions as he told the story of times long ago. Brown eyes were once again reveled to him; illuminated in the soft light of the moon and swimming with intense hunger for more of the tale he was telling.

"I remember very little about her, other then the basics. Only that he voice annoyed me and that she enjoyed talking about herself and her many suitors. Dinner had been a slight disaster, but it was more frustrating then anything else.

"Please Bella, understand that very rarely did I ever mistreat a lady. My mother raised me to behave the way she believed all men should act. And I did behave as such, in the beginning. I opened the door for her, pulled out her chair when we arrived at the table, took her hand to help her rise, but when it was through, I couldn't do it anymore.

"She was just too..Pig-like. I remember that well, into the hospital. Carlise changed me, then..."

She looked confused and slightly sad, now as she stared at him.

Edward shook his head morosely, "I told you, you shouldn't hear about such things."

"You never had a date that you had fun on, did you, Edward?" She questioned, quietly as she stared up into his beautiful topaz eyes.

He smiled slightly, "Not until I had one with you, Bella. If I ever had to choose who I would spend one last date with, it would be you. Beautiful. Brave. Intelligent. _You."_


	3. Inner Demons

_Theme #25- Release of Evils..._ for the 30 Nights community on livejournal. Also, if you have a livejournal account, I encourage you to join **twilight(down slash)fics **which can be accessed through my personal account on livejournal. The link to that is in my profile. It's still rather small, but I'm sure that with you all making contributions and such to it, it'll be a great success. I'll continue to add my pieces as they get done. Sadly, I don't know how long they will take, but I do hope to finish my claim as soon as possible and keep you all waiting for as little amount of time as I can manage.

I thank you all very much for your wonderful feedback! It's helping me so much, but I can say that from this chapter on out, it's going to be a bumpy ride. The themes for the community are kinda hard, and I'm doing my best to relate them to Edward and Bella, but like you'll see in this chapter, I'm running into problems. So, i'm sorry in advance, but if you have any ideas or suggestions, please let me know! You all are my only form of advice on these and I love your opinions more then anything. So, with that in mind, here's the next piece.

**Disclaimer: **Twilight and all of it's characters are owned by Stephenie Meyer.

**----------  
Inner Demons**

In sleep, she's beautiful. While she dreams, she speaks with the voice of an angel. Such a delicate angel who could broken so very easily. So easily that it wouldn't even take words to kill the little piece of heaven that rested in bed next to him.

A demon laying next to an angel. Such a sight would appall them all. From the deepest pits of hell to the highest clouds of heaven, the news of the angel and he being together would be shouted. How, the angels would wonder, could such a dazzling creature settle for such a grotesque beast? How, the demons would wonder, had such a strong animal settle for such a unremarkable being? How, they would wonder, could their species not understand what they saw in each other?

As he watched her lips move slowly, peacefully, to mumble short phrases and unabashed decelerations of her love for him. Soft, sweet lips that he's tasted before and has found comfort in feeling against his own. The same sweet lips that have been able to heal his every wound, ease his every hurt, and showed him that even the most fragile of beings could be brave when it was in love.

The heart of a living creature was never to be doubted. It could make even the weakest person strong.

He loved her for everything. Everything she was, everything she did, everything she hoped to be, and everything about her that shined. And it was his love for her and her everything that kept him strong, though in her presence he was weaker then even she.

Though he masked his reason for being addicted to her presence well, it didn't make him forget what rested deep within him: The inner demons that would never go away.

With every little cut-

_Bella winced slightly as she tugged the ribbon a little more, making it tighten around her thin, pale finger. "I think i'll cut it about right here," she motioned to the area of the string closest to her finger._

_Edward sighed quietly, "Pull the string out a little more before you do that. You'll cut your finger, if you don't."_

_"Oh, quit worrying about me. It'll be fine," she chided jokingly while pulling out the scissors and aligning them with the spot in which she planned to cut. _

_His hand itched to reach out and pause her in her actions, but he resisted and believed in her intelligence enough to know to move her finger a little when she clipped the ribbon. He trust was unreasonable, though, and went the tips of the scissors connected, her pale skin broke and with a hiss of pain she mumbled a curse. _

_All of this was unheard by the strikingly handsome male, though. He was too concentrated on holding his breath. Keeping his demons in their chains. Their ever-weakening chains. They pulled and yanked and tugged violently against the metal, and the sound of all of their shouting and the clash of metal against stone echoed in his ears. _

_Bella continued on her mumbled tirade, not paying attention to the war her lover was currently having within himself. The thought of what he was slipped her mind, now, as it did very often. It was hard to believe that she was dating...creature, that most considered to be a myth. _

_The thought did come to her, though, when she heard him growl quietly, "Oh! I'm so sorry, Edward!"_

_Torn became her sheets as she yanked at the corner to wrap a section around her small cut, tying it tightly to assure that no more blood could leak out and make it harder for the man she loved. _

_It was too late, when she did it. The demons had already made a dent in their chains, and slowly they were gaining chances to be freed... _

-and with every slip of tongue-

_She was enthusiastic with her kisses. Always pulling her body closer to his and clamping her mouth impossibly closer to his. She enjoyed breathing in from his mouth and breathing his air. And just like his control slipped on occasion, so did hers. _

_She'd become well-trained, and had learned to keep herself under control, but everyonce in awhile... _

_Like tonight as they laid together on her bed. He leaned over, slightly, placing a small kiss to her pliant lips before pulling away just enough to rest his lips upon hers. They moved against each her's as he mumbled, "I love you, Bella. Sweet dreams..." _

_She lost control. _

_Wrapping her arms tightly around his neck, she tugged her body down to hers and pressed her lips ever-closer to his. Warmth flooded his body when she did this, but with the warmth came the demons howling and urging him to just lean over and bite her. Sink his teeth deep into her jugular and_ feed _on her blood. Such a sweet, warm taste that he'd had before. Finer then the oldest wine, sweeter then the juiciest passion fruit, and more addicting the the strongest of drugs. _

_He resisted, pushing their words to the back of his mind and reminding himself to be gentle when pushing her body away from his. _

_It would take only a single slip for him to kill her._

_A single demon to be released for her to end up dead..._

-the chains of the monsters inside him weakened and the danger of him losing control increased. He'd told her this, tonight, before she fell asleep. A warning that she should make him leave. Make him leave her and never return. Order him to go, for her safety.

For her future.

She smiled at him, though, after he told her. A warm smile; trusting.

_"It would hurt me much more to lose you, now, then it would to die. Even if you lost control, I would just be happy that your face was the last thing I saw." _

He smiled at the memory and leaned over to look into her sleeping face. His sleeping angel's face.

_Everything_. Even in her sleep.

He pressed his lips lightly to her neck, feeling the blood flow softly through her veins, "No demon of mine will ever hurt you, Bella, because no demon of mine can break through my love for you."


	4. Unaware

_Theme #16- You Don't Know What You've Done To Me..._ for the 30 Nights community on livejournal. Also, if you have a livejournal account, I encourage you to join **twilight(down slash)fics **which can be accessed through my personal account on livejournal. The link to that is in my profile.

Your reviews make me so happy! I can't even explain how delighted I felt going back and reading them. And, to **Just Me: **I would have loved to respond to your review earlier, but you didn't leave an e-mail so I didn't know how to get in touch with you. Sorry! But, I did want to say that age is never really a big deal. I know 14 year olds with more wisdom and knowledge then 25 year olds. Never let your age hold you back from anything! Oh, and my spelling isn't great, either. You'll see it in this chapter in the 'affect, effect' area. I couldn't remember which one was the proper one… (

**Disclaimer: **Twilight and all of it's characters are owned by Stephenie Meyer.

**----------  
Unaware**

In the beginning she couldn't understand why he became so upset when she said that she didn't deserve him; that he'd affected her so much more then she could ever even dream of affecting him. How plain and boring she was came up more then he would like in their evening conversations and every time it did she could feel the ice-like muscles under his pale skin tighten against her warm cheek. The first time it had happened, she'd been afraid that she'd perhaps gone a step too far and brought out a bit of his vicious other-half. The idea, though, had gone out the window when just moments later his strong arms encased her in a chilling embrace, pulling her lithe body to press dangerously close to his own.

There, she relaxed her worried mind and let the cool and comforting feeling flood her body like a cold breeze on a February day. Chilly but longed for was the feel and like when too much snow covered the frozen streets and school was forced to close, her body closed down and gave in to his presence. The pure devotion flowing from his body to hers was such a wonder feeling.

And the _love_.

Euporia was tiring, she realized, as her eyelids got increasingly heavy with each blink. Sleep took over before she could whisper a goodnight to the very lover she would be dreaming of but he didn't mind.

A slow, sweet smile came to his flawless face as he felt the steady rise and fall over her chest against his side. It was calming to watch her in sleep, knowing that she was dreaming of something beautiful and longed for… Like them being able to be together far easier then they could right now…

Yes, what a truly amazing thing that would be…

He sighed softly, the action making her head rise, when he thought about it. He loved her more then anything or anyone else and sometimes he wondered if even Carlisle and Esme had a _semblance_ of a idea of what it felt like to love someone as much as he loved her. His un-beating heart _felt _when he was with her and looking at her delicate features -feeling them when he cupped her face in his freezing hands- reminded him of what he was like to be normal; to be human. To have a heart that sped up and thumped in a beautifully erratic rhythm that resembled the sound of a small child playing music for the first time as proud parents watch with equally proud and delighted eyes.

The only upsetting thing about her, was that she was so unaware…

She was so disgustingly unaware of how she'd changed him. How she'd made him both stronger and weaker, happier, willing and simply _okay_. Since their meeting, admittance of love and sharing of some of the most unforgettable moments of his long-lived life, he'd begun to accept what he was better then he had before. He was seeing, now, that just because he wasn't what some would call normal, it didn't mean that he was the monster that others of his kind were.

Thousands of couples he'd seen and the look of peace on their plain human faces had made him somewhat longing for something of the like. Living with 3 happy couples, he'd come to the conclusion that though they were happy, he didn't need a lover to be the same. Desperately, he willed his longing to the very depths of his expansive mind and went on day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year...

Now, he was in love and as he laid there holding her amazingly warm body against his he questioned how he'd ever lived without her and how he could ever survive without her now that he'd finally experienced the only emotion he'd never be able to truly feel until he'd met her.

"...Edward...Love you..."

Her melodic voice filled the silence of the dark room as she spoke in a clouded whisper from her deep slumber. A moment after, he swore he could feel his heart beat once in response. Leaning down, he pressed his lips sweetly to her forehead, silently telling her sleeping form how much he loved her, needed her and thanked her.

Even if she was unaware of what she'd done to him...


	5. Imagination

_Theme #9- When All Hope Is Lost..._ for the 30 Nights community on livejournal. Also, if you have a livejournal account, I encourage you to join twilight**(down slash) **fics which can be accessed through my personal account on livejournal. The link to that is in my profile.

**Disclaimer: Twilight and all of it's characters are owned by Stephenie Meyer. **

**----------  
Imagination**

Cold fingers ran smoothly over the slightly darker skin of her stomach, coaxing the muscles below to relax under despite his icy touch. The small expanse of skin was revealed by a thin white tank-top that had ridden up just a little during their pre-sleep talk. Her squirming and adjustments had caused the material to bunch and rise to the area just a few inches above her navel. Very little skin, but still enough to tempt and give the imagination some room to roam.

As they spoke in quite tones, he ran his hands softly up and down her arm, barely brushing the light-colored hairs and adding a slight tickling sensation to her already tingling skin. Her giggle rang softly through the warm summer air that filled her bedroom; the only witness to their current affections. She'd began shifting, then, trying to hold back laughter that was determined to be released from behind the soft pink gates that held them in.

She was sleeping, now, and couldn't feel the fingers roaming across her skin. He wondered, silently, if she would mind if she were awake. Perhaps, during a moment like this, when his ice cold skin was touching her deliciously warm skin, she would realize just what it is that he was. How un-natural it was that they were together; how dangerous!

Oh, but such thoughts left as quickly as they came when he heard, even in sleep, her heart begin to thump in a quicker rhythm like the determined drummer of the band or the student not understanding a question and tapping his pen subconsciously to rid his mind of the quickly growing nervousness. It was beautiful, all the same, to hear the noise. Though he heard it everyday, it never ceased to amaze him how delicate she truly was. To be touched -in a deep slumber, no less!- and still have her heart pick up speed and thump louder, louder, _louder!_ in her chest.

He pondered if her ribs hated him nearly as much as he hated himself for being this close to her. The bruises on her ribcage matched the bruises he gave himself in punishment for risking her life for his desires. It was harder then he thought it would be, now that he had spent so much time with her, to go a single day without hearing that heart beat speed up at the feel up his un-naturally cold skin, the words of his un-modern way of speaking and the feel of his deathly cold lips against hers.

Leaving her for a little while to hunt left he pining for her scent, the feel of her skin, the sound of her voice the very heart of which she had given solely to him! It was truly irrational! At any given moment, this moment or perhaps the next, he could lose control and suddenly sink his teeth into her, drawing all the blood from her body and leaving her white as the moon and cold as death itself.

Just one wrong move...

One beat of her heart out of tempo...

Just once...

One time was all it was going to take for the end to become imminent.

With this thought on his mind, he continued to stroke her skin. He set every dip and curve to his memory to be stored until the very day he...passed on. It calmed him to know, that no matter what happened, he would at least have bits and pieces of her in his mind for the rest of his time.

As night faded out to give room to day -a magical bond that showed that light and dark could work together in peace and beauty- he watched shadows play across her soft facial structure while still exploring the skin of her flat stomach.

Her heart thrummed on -a soft buzz in the background- until the second when he pulled his fingers from her skin.

It stopped, just for that moment.

He smiled down at her and brushed away all negative thoughts of what could happen. Even when all hope was lost and he could no longer control himself, he would stay with her because she needed him just as much as he needed her.

And he needed her more then any expanse of skin would ever permit the imagination travel.


	6. Always

** Theme #10- Together Always- **for the 30 Nights community on livejournal. Also, if you have a livejournal account, I encourage you to join twilight**(down slash) **fics which can be accessed through my personal account on livejournal. The link to that is in my profile.

** A/N: **Miss Procrastination edited this for me! Gosh, I can't thank you enough. I always appriciate those who can help me with the smaller things. It's so easy to miss spelling and grammar errors when you're trying your best not to go through and just delete it all, as I so often do. Haha. But, again, thank you!

** Disclaimer: **Twilight and all of it's characters are owned by Stephenie Meyer.

----------  
**Always****  
**

To say that I was upset over her ideas of what I may do in the future would be an understatement of large proportions. I had believed that, in the past, I had done my best to ensure her that my heart belonged to her and only her and also that it would never be able to belong to anyone but her in the future. Did the promise I made to her while she lay in her hospital bed, weak and disoriented all because of me, not mean a thing to her or had it simply not registered in her mind as the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth?

_Siempre...  
_

As I lay here, her warmth seeking through the cotton pajamas that adorn her lithe form and seeping even future through my clothes, heating my freezing skin, I pray that it was neither. Perhaps, I hoped, she had forgotten about my promise. The medications she was on at the time were heavy and administered often to keep her from feeling an ounce of pain, as I wanted it to be. I prayed that that was the reason she continued to question me. The very reasons she continued to cling to me in her sleep, whispering to never leave her in a voice sadder than any I had ever heard.

_Immer... _

While she was awake, she said nothing of thinking that I may leave but her eyes gave her away. It was true that I couldn't read her mind, and that her reactions were unlike all of the humans I was used to, but when we separated -if only for moments- the deep depths of her eyes fluttered with a look of loneliness; a look of pure, desperate abandonment.

_Sempre..._

Days of summer passed and slowly weeks crawled on. It went by slowly; painfully. The look was always there whenever we parted and it brought an unknown pain to my chest every time I saw it. I felt colder than usual when we were away from each other, constantly hurrying to complete whatever I needed to so that I could get back to her and making up excuse after excuse to be near her.

_Toujours...  
_

I knew the look was there all the time, while we were away from each other. It was embedded into her eyes when I was gone just like the pain in my chest reminded me that we were separated while she was gone. Nothing eased it and all attempts only brought along more and more reminders, making it impossible to stay away for too long. Why -I wondered every time- did she think I was leaving?

_Всегда...  
_

It wasn't until a month, two weeks and 13 days into summer that I brought myself to ask. She was being exceptionally quiet that night. An unusual act seeing as she usually took our evening talks as time to attempt to delve deeper into my anterior life. She never passed up an opportunity to ask questions. She was a naturally inquisitive human, and I loved it about her. She didn't require straightforward answers and didn't force things out of you. She didn't question you as if you had committed a crime, but as if she was trying to skillfully find out what kind of friend you were (or could be). It was strange how I missed her questions in the first twenty minutes that we laid there. I kept my hold on her, hoping that the blanket wrapped securely around her body was somewhat defending her from the natural chilliness of my skin, and waited for her lips to part and whispered words to flow mellifluously into the warm summer air that had entered through the window causing the gauzy curtains to flutter helplessly, offering little discouragement to the uninvited air. I laid there -hoping- and waited.__

___ Altijd... _

An hour passed without a word and I wondered silently if she had fallen asleep. I shifted, just a bit, and her head rose immediately. Brown eyes met mine and the look was there just as powerful and heart-stopping (if I had a heart to stop) as before. I shook my head and pulled her body closer, attempting to ease her worries, "I'm not leaving." Ever.

___總是____...  
_

She nodded, her hair shaking with the movement and unintentionally permeating the air with her scent, before laying her head back down and letting her eyes close with careful ease. Desperate, I sat up just a little to gauge her reaction. Brown eyes flew open instantly and I smiled crookedly in response, "What are you worried about?" A double question.

___항상____...  
_

"Nothing." Too quick, "Are you sure?" "Positive." I don't believe you, "Then what's wrong?" "Nothing, Edward." Another lie, "I'm not leaving." "..." So I was right, "That's what you're worried about, isn't it, Bella?"

___常に____...  
_

She sighed softly -sweetly, tiredly- before she looked up with the same lonely look, "You're too good to be true. One of these days, I'm going to wake up." No, Bella, it will be me who wakes up from this daydream... "I'm not leaving."

___Alltid...  
_

I cupped her face in my hands, feeling the goosebumps rise to her skin in response to my cold touch, heard her heart pick up in speed and intensity and saw the lonely look fade away into nothingness in her eyes. The warmth that I loved was back, if only for the moment, and I desperately desired to burn this very memory into my mind so that I may have it for the rest of my existence. It was perfection, resting there with the sound of her heart thumping rapidly in my ears, the feel of her skin against mine and the sight of only pure love reflected back at me from deep, soulful, brown depths. Her lips parted -just an inch- and she whispered into the warm summer air of her room just as I'd longed for her to, "Promise me."

___Always... _

"I promise."


	7. Bravery

_Theme #26- Frozen Moment At First Sight..._for the 30 Nights community on livejournal. I thought I would go ahead and post it here, and just let you all get a peek at it, too! Also, if you have a livejournal account, I encourage you to join twilight(down slash)fics. It's still rather small, but I'm sure that with you all making contributions and such to it, it'll be a great success. I'll continue to add my pieces as they get done. Sadly, I don't know how long they will take, but I do hope to finish my claim as soon as possible and keep you all waiting for as little amount of time as I can manage. Now, on with the show!

**Disclaimer: **Twilight and all of it's characters are owned by Stephenie Meyer.

**----------  
Bravery**

I strongly believe that on days like this -bright, warm and with a clear blue sky that stretched endlessly into the beyond- she furtively enjoyed revering me of her usual curiosity. On days lacking the usual monotony of the expansive sky above Forks we came out to the field we had silently claimed as our own. In the beginning I declared to myself that I would never regret the day I brought her to my sacred place but in recent rendezvouses I've seemed to find myself regretting my declaration _and_ bringing her here.

She was oddly sedate as we laid to together, her fingers tracing over light veins and invisible lines on my arms while I rested on my back basking in the warmth of both the sun and her caress. Her voice was far too euphonious to not be missed during these sessions and though I tried my damnedest to get her to fall into her usual inquisitive demeanor but all tries failed. After only a few quiet visits I became shockingly penurious for her nondescript behavior; curious, tranquil, mercurial, slightly enigmatic, they were all an integral part of my day. Without them making an appearance at least once, my day could be described as anti-climatic at best and though her company and quelling caress were a gift from a very powerful outside source, they weren't quite what made my day worth living. I needed for her to be her and show her soul.

I am an abstemious creature, but only to a certain degree. I can deny myself human blood, the very thing my body and mind crave for but I can not -and would prefer not to- deny myself of her. Sadly, her lack of speech is torturing me.

As I lay there, contemplating a way of getting her to speak, question, wonder aloud as she usually did, she stiffened and let her hand drop away from my arm. My thoughts scattered quickly before joining once again to focus solely on her.

"What is that?" She questioned, her voice soft and full of child-like curiosity.

I turned to gaze at the patch of land where her eyes were focused so intensely. I saw nothing queer in the area, though. It was the same as every other area of the field, varying shades of green between vibrant shades of pinks, blues, reds, yellows and oranges. "What are you talking about, Bella?"

She continued to stare as she lifted her slight arm to point at the same patch of land I'd been looking at previously, "That. See it?"

I looked once again to note that nothing was out of the ordinary. She seemed to pick up on my lack of knowledge and pulled at my arm as a sign to get up so that she may show me. I stood, as she wanted and let her guide me to the area. Her hand was soft and warm around mine and tightened more and more as we stepped closer.

What, I wondered, could have her in such a state of wonder?

I knew what she was talking about as soon as we stepped into the area and questioned aloud how in the world she had seen such a thing from so far away.

Her brown eyes glanced up at me before offering the rushed response of, "It stands out. Now, what _is_ it?"

However, the flower did not stand out in the slightest. The blooms were of a light shade of orange, their centers a darker shade of pink and were not special-looking in the slightest compared to the others in the field. The leaves were a dark green, depressingly-looking when surrounded by the bright green leaves of others and was low-laying on the ground but I responded nonetheless, "It's scarlet pimpernel, somtimes referred to as _poor man's weather-glass_."

Her look was befuddled and I smiled, "It closes when it rains and when it's cloudy much like morning-glories close after sunrise."

"Oh, I've never seen it before," she said, bending low to pick up a loose flower and examine it, "I know most of the flowers I've seen here and or have at least seen them elsewhere, but not this one."

"It's European, odd to find it in the States," I responded, bending down to rest beside her as she rested back on her haunches to exclaim the whole plant, "and considered to be a weed, though a flower as picky as this one should defiantly be something worth value."

She only glanced up at me before turning back to plant in her hands, "Picky?"

"Yes. They're rarely ever open, when it's too hot, too wet, too cloudy or too damp they stay shut and even on days where it's perfect -like today- they're only open from 8 AM to 3 PM."

"You know a lot about them, don't you?" She smiled as she stood, watching me to bright, entertained eyes.

I didn't know much about them, to be honest, but I was sure to make what little I did know go a long way. I'd pulled small bits of information an older woman had given me about the plant years ago when I'd visited Europe with Carlise on a short trip. She'd be excited to show me her garden and paused for only a moment -gazing up at me with warm, understanding eyes as if she knew what I was- before grabbing my hand without warning and despite the un-natural coldness she kept her grasp firm as she guided me through the greenery. Perhaps that was the reason I remember the day so well. Such an old, fragile woman had not at all intimidated by my anomalous look and behavior and she had been the first to treat me as a normal human being since my change. I'd drawn the memory out to offer Bella answers so that she may continue to be inquisitive like she usually was, to keep her talking for as long as I could so that her melodious voice spoken softly over the sound of the feathery breeze.

And before I answered, I silently thanked the old woman for her bravery and perhaps for her silent knowledge and warm accepting of my kind but more than anything, for unconsciously bringing my Bella back to me, "Yes, you could say that..."


	8. Tap Tap

_Theme #18- Listen to the music at night..._for the 30 Nights community on livejournal. I thought I would go ahead and post it here, and just let you all get a peek at it, too! Also, if you have a livejournal account, I encourage you to join twilight(down slash)fics. It's still rather small, but I'm sure that with you all making contributions and such to it, it'll be a great success. I'll continue to add my pieces as they get done. Sadly, I don't know how long they will take, but I do hope to finish my claim as soon as possible and keep you all waiting for as little amount of time as I can manage. Now, on with the show!

**Disclaimer: **Twilight and all of it's characters are owned by Stephenie Meyer.

**Warning: **I was listening to Avril's new song when I wrote this so my sappy/romanticness is dried up and shriveling. Sorry... I don't even like Avril, the song is just too addictive and I couldn't think without it. sighs Perhaps I should sue...

* * *

**Tap Tap**

She hated silence almost as I much as I did. In the car, she would strum her fingers lightly against her knee when we neither had the radio playing or were talking. That simple and calm rhythm was just enough to soothe her through the car ride. It was slightly mesmerizing, I noticed. One would think that a simple _tap, tap, tap_ would not be nearly enough to ease you through a distressing silence but for her it did the job just as well as a blaring radio would. Perhaps, even better.

Her gentle strumming helped to ease her worries, I knew. However, I don't think she knew of the effect it had on _me_. Watching her thin fingers rise and fall to tap away at her bony, clothed knee as her eyes gazed passively out the window to view to flying scenery was like no experience I remember. Do not, at all, assume that I haven't been through my fair share of experiences -both good and bad- and may be considered a little undereducated in the department. I have experienced much and even with said experiences in mind, I still consider it to easily take the award for the most epic scene I'd every taken view of.

Through the whole ride home, she was blissfully unaware of my constant gaze. Her focus seemed to rest solely on the passing blossoms and the setting sun. It's warm rays highlighter her hair creating streaks of gold and copper throughout. It reminded me, dimly, of a glowing fire flickering gracefully from between thin brown twigs and excess underbrush. Even still, it only faintly reminded me. The view of Bella compared directly to that offered no justice to the beauty and delicacy that I saw as I watched the colors shift and blend through her brown locks.

I only stopped watching to turn into her driveway. My hand never left the steering wheel as I watch her climb out of the seat quietly, smiling briefly before shutting the door and walking with long strides up to her door. Her prompt departure and lack of a proper goodbye didn't not leave me unsettled in the slightest. She knew I would be returning and had hated letting such an indecent word like 'goodbye' pass from between her pale pink lips. Even since the incident in Phoenix, she despised that word. When we were forced to separate, she'd press a soft kiss to my frozen lips and whisper a patient but quivering, "I'll see you, soon" before we went our separate ways. Goodbye was too permanent, she claimed, while "I'll see you, soon" spoke of a definite future. And that's what we wanted, wasn't it? A definite future? I pondered all of this during my run back towards her home. After parking my car and stopping in to inform Esme of my location, I departed without any further hesitation.

The kitchen smelled faintly of herbs, like those used when making roasted chicken and I noticed the droplets of water that was sliding slowing down the china plate resting on a faded cobalt dish towel. She'd just eaten and was probably preparing for her shower, as she usually did. With Charlie away for police work, the house was eerily silent and lacking. Though his belongings were still firmly in place, the lack of his presence had left the home feeling...barren, almost; too empty, too quiet.

The latter was broken by the sound of water rushing quickly through the pipes upstairs to the shower where I knew she was probably pulling the curtains aside to step in carefully. She had a nasty habit of slipping, recently, and I had warned her jokingly the night before to watch her step and stay away from the perilous soap bars. They had it in for her, I was sure.

Laughing quietly at the memory of her procacious expression and bright eyes, I stepped onto the first step and then even further on. She wouldn't be out of the shower for a little bit, I knew but being even those few feet closer to her would be enough to sedate me until she deemed herself clean enough to join me. If only she knew that I would still stand beside her even if she hadn't bathed properly in a week. My love and addiction to her was far more powerful then any stench she could even muster up.

Late that night, she rested unmoving next to me in her bed, watching the flapping of her curtain and feeling tense. The silence was back again and I knew that she would never be able to fall asleep with it echoing harshly throughout the hollow house. I wished I could do more; lull her to sleep or steer her mind from the lack of noise that bothered her so but I knew of nothing that I hadn't already tried. I pulled her just a little bit closer to my chest and sighed in defeat when I realized that I knew of nothing because there _was _nothing I could do for her at that point.

Feeling weak, I let my mind flutter away to that evening at the restaurant when she'd smiled _with élan_ when I'd mentioned a recipe I'd found to be quite disgusting the night before and the drive home when I'd watched her finger t_ap, tap, ta_-

The idea was sudden, flooding my mind and overtaking the memory I had been reflecting on. I tried to reason with myself; tell myself that it wouldn't work, but my more intelligent side said to_ try_. Even a failed attempt would be an attempt. So, I did.

My fingers strummed lightly, at first. The sound was barely caught by my ears and instantly I knew that she couldn't hear it, either. I paused, reconsidering, before strumming lightly again. I kept the rhythm slow, calming and quiet. I tried my best to create the melody for the song I'd written for her but after finding I couldn't get it perfect, choose to just go on with a rhythm straight from my mind. It seemed to do just as well of a job, I noticed, as I felt her body ease slightly and her breath slow to a patient melody to accompany my tapping.

It took only minutes for her to fall asleep with a quiet, "thank you, Edward..."

I smiled, slightly and paused to look down at her with curious eyes. It all seemed so familiar, I noticed. The steady rhythm playing in the back of my mind and the desperate need for music to fall asleep. Leaning back, I closed my eyes and let the memory of a long, sweet song play over in my memory... a memory from long ago...

_Tap, tap, tap-tap, tap..._


	9. Bedtime Stories

**Theme #17**- Black Wings; **Wings** for the 30Nights community on livejournal. This one turned out lame and OC, though. ):

**!IMPORTANT!:** I've recently started up an LJ community (that will spread past LJ, I assure you) to write a collaborated HP fanfic. Now, I know that you all are Twilight readers and probably wouldn't want to be involved in writing that fic but here's what I was thinking about: A Twilight Collaborated Fanfiction. It'll be the same general idea as the Harry Potter one, only...It'll be Twilight instead. If you'd like information to get an idea of what it would be like and if enough people would like to help out then I'd LOVE to start it up! Information on what it would be like can be found collaborate(downdash)fic on LJ. Just go to and enter " collaborate(downdash)fic" in the username search bar. Everything on that site will be the same as the Twilight one if I start it. The only change will be the fanmix part. Anywhoz, have fun reading and let me know if you enjoyed it! (:

**Disclaimer:** If I owned it, it'd be more sappy and less interesting. XD

-----

**Bedtime Stories**

_ The clap-clap of her flip-flops against the creaking wooden stairs flowed through his ears to resound quietly through his head. He knew she would be returning for her trip to Heaven that evening and after being separated for so long -three days that felt more like 3 centuries- and had left loving parents standing shocked in the kitchen when he realized the time and how soon she would be arriving at her home. He made a mental note to apologize when he returned to change that evening. Running out of the house unannounced was quite rude, he mused as the sound of her clapping shoes became louder and louder with every creak of the stairs just before it all stopped and the gentle sound of her anxious breathing just outside the door filled the space where the clapping had once been. _

_ His eased his body slowly off the padded mattress to pad silently across the room to her bedroom door. Her scent -light, floral and with a mix of the light air from Heaven- wafted heavily through the cracks at the side and under the door to flood his senses once again. A deep breath brought it all in to linger in and around his nose. It was a scent so pure gentle that he was suddenly reminded as to why he couldn't get it off of his mind while she'd been gone._

_ In a slower pace than he'd ever managed, his hand moved to grasp the copper handle of the door and pull it slightly open to reveal his pale form. The dark hair on her head shook and fell gracefully off of her shoulders as her head snapped up to gaze at him with large, shocked eyes, "You're here, already?"_

_ A small, crooked smile took place on his lips when he laughed a breathy-laugh and nodded his head. Her short, lithe body was wrapped securely in his arms just moments later and they struggled to pull each other ever-closer so that they may never be separated for such a long time, again. _

_ "Next time," he whispered for only her to hear, "I'm coming with you."  
_

_ Though he couldn't see the nod, he felt it as her head moved slowly against his chest. "Yes," she whispered just as quietly, "you defiantly will be."_

Bella's eyes were squinted and confused for a moment before her mouth opened to speak and then closed again. The movement distinctly reminded me of a fish; a small white one with large, lovely brown eyes and glowing scales that would make any predator faint from their beauty. It was a rather amusing sight and I had to remind myself that it was late in the evening (long past Charlie's bedtime) and that my volume needed to be kept very low when I laughed at the very peculiar face she was making.

The confused in her chocolate orbs dimmed momentarily before she whispered, "Wait a moment. Was she..._dead_?"

_ 'Volume, Edward. Remember your volume,' _I repeated in my head and I held back my laughter. Though her lips had closed and the fish movement was complete the pursed shape they had formed at my laughter was even more entertaining than the previous face had been. She scoffed just a little and whispered, "Well fine, laugh at my expense. That was probably your plan all along."

"What? To tell you a story that you wouldn't understand so that you would make odd faces at me and bring me to uncontrollable laughter?" I whispered back with a breathy laugh following.

She nodded just a little and eased her pursed lips, "Exactly."

I pushed a stray strand of hair away from her face, letting my cool fingers linger at her cheekbone before smiling at her, "No, that wasn't my plan and yes, she was dead. She was his...guardian angel of sorts. At least, that's what I assumed. My mother never really explained it to me. I believe she expected that I would understand it in my own time." I paused, trying to remember the story word for word. "You have to understand, Bella, It's been a long time since I've heard that story. I may have it all backwards, by now."

Her sigh was light -a gentle flutter of breath against my shoulder.

"Tell me, Edward," she said in a quiet, patient voice, "What do _you_ think it meant?"

My memories of late nights and whispered tales were blurry, barely recognizable and I feared that my patience would wear thin before I was able to fully create an opinion about what I did think it meant. It made very little sense for her to be his guardian angle when he was waiting at _her_ home but who else -other than angels- visited Heaven? Surely angels didn't live in homes with creaking stairs and cooper door handles nor wear flip-flops that clapped with their ever step and I guarantee that Carlise's father never told the Church's followers of angels having such beatific scents and sleeping on warm, cushioned beds.

To be perfectly honest, I wasn't sure if I had the story right at all. The idea of having mixed various stories together to form a new one wasn't at all an uneducated idea. Frankly, I remember how the flickering candle light shed the brightest of glows to the light copper of my mother's skin and how her skin always smelled of rosewood and thyme when she read to me those long, lonely nights. I remember more of the sound of my father's deep grumble when I shook him with my whispered worries of ghosts and monsters under my bed and my mother's patient whisper of, "Come on to your room with me, Edward. I'll scare all those ghosts and monsters away" more than the stories she told me to ensure that I was well protected there in my bed.

I turned to face Bella with dimmed eyes and a slightly grim look to tell her that I really didn't know what it had been about when I saw that she had fallen to sleep while she waited for the rest of my tale. The gentle sweeping motion of the wind-blown curtain created a flicker of light from the moon and highlighted the gentle curves and dips of her pale skin while her steady breathing brought a rise and fall to her chest and brought a gentle flutter of air against my shoulder. Her light and very pure scent wafted through the air along with the gentle breeze from outside and for a moment I wondered just how I would be able to last while she was away in Phoenix next week. Such a sight would defiantly be missed by my eyes.

I sighed, glancing up at the digital clock before turning back to face her slumbering form.

Powder-white light had seemed to highlight the area just around her back to create a swift arch that, at least for a moment, closely resembled a glowing white wing spreading free from Bella's back to reach with every ounce of it's strength towards the ceiling as though desperately trying to meet it. My thoughts, silenced by the sight, picked up immediately when the sight faded from sight and clicked together faster than I could comprehend.

Surely, Bella hadn't grown momentary wings and surely she wasn't an angel in the sense that she'd died, gone to Heaven and then ventured back down to Earth to keep watch over me but, perhaps, I had remembered my mother's story just as it had been told. Maybe my mother had been right to not tell me of what she truly meant by that story.

Perhaps-

Well, there were plenty of 'perhaps's and 'maybe's but for now, I believe I will settle with the idea that Bella was the guardian angel my mother had told me of and that she will be the very person to scare away the ghosts and monsters under my bed. Once again, I find myself holding back a laugh and had to bring my face to rest against the warm, silky strands atop her head to keep my volume low as I whisper goodnight to my sleeping angel and let the power-white wings fade from my view as my eyes drift shut to simply _feel_.


	10. Dangerous

**Theme #39**- Hear the thunder roar and the lightning flash for the 30 Nights community on livejournal.

**!IMPORTANT!:** I've recently started up an LJ community (that will spread past LJ, I assure you) to write a collaborated HP fanfic. Now, I know that you all are Twilight readers and probably wouldn't want to be involved in writing that fic but here's what I was thinking about: A Twilight Collaborated Fanfiction. It'll be the same general idea as the Harry Potter one, only...It'll be Twilight instead. If you'd like information to get an idea of what it would be like and if enough people would like to help out then I'd LOVE to start it up! Information on what it would be like can be found collaborate(downdash)fic on LJ. Just go to and enter "collaborate(downdash)fic" in the username search bar. Everything on that site will be the same as the Twilight one if I start it. The only change will be the fanmix part. Anywho, have fun reading and let me know if you enjoyed it! (:

**WARUI-USAGI IS GOING TO HELP OUT! **I'm so happy now… I mean, _honestly_ people, it doesn't get any better than that. (Insert super happy face here).

**Disclaimer:** If I owned it, it'd be more sappy and less interesting. XD

-----

**Dangerous**

The pale yellow curtains flashed white with every bolt of deadly lightning and the house creaked tiredly after every roar of waking thunder as rain creeped along the windows with vigor in hope of finding a safe place to hide from the treacherous wind that threatened to whisk it away. Bella blinked blearily as the room was flooded with bright white light. Darkness took over just as soon as the light had and momentarily she contemplated just rolling over to try to fall back asleep. The shocking sound of thunder that followed the thought brought her just far enough out of sleep to know that rolling over wouldn't do a thing to help her fall back asleep.

Lethargically, she pushed away the canary-yellow comforter and stainless white sheets to swing her legs over the edge of the bed. She contracted and hissed quietly when her bare feet met the cold wooden floors. Silently, she wished she had placed her slippers closer to the bed before she had fallen into it for sleep. Eyeing her closet doors she stood to rush and grab the offending pink slippers from their confines but smiled down at them when she instantly felt warmer.

'Who would have thought that something pink would at some point be useful?', she thought as she slipped silently out of her bedroom and down the stairs. The sound of a slow, precarious thunder could be heard as she reached the dim kitchen. Twelve-oh-four was displayed in flashing red light from the microwave display while a tiny screen on the counter flashed blue then black and back again in a constant pattern. Sighing softly, she tip-toed closer and lifted the tiny mobile device from his place.

After the incident in Italy, Charlie found that a cell phone was necessary for a girl like Bella. You know the type: always getting hurt, always ending up in dangerous situations, always running of to God-knows-where to do God-knows-what with that-Cullen-boy. Though she insisted that she didn't need modern technology like that and that that-Cullen-boy had one of his own if she should ever need to call home, he still appeared one day last month with a box to shove in her hand and with a muttered, "Use the thing, will you?"

She looked down at it now and let the corner of her lips rise just slightly. A full-blown smile was impossible tonight seeing as she knew that that-Cullen-boy was running around out in the freezing rain and treacherous thunder to hunt leaving her in the dreary cold house alone with nothing but Charlie's soft snores and her horrid pink slippers for company.

Pressing the little green button, she saw the notice reading: _1 New Text Message_. She pressed the little green button again and blinked rapidly as the blue light suddenly brightened. Giving her eyes a moment to adjust, she turned back to read the note.

_Bella-_

_Hunting went well though I worried about you the entire time. I hope you had a pleasant evening and I cannot wait to see you tomorrow morning. _

_I love you._

_From: Edward's Cell_

_11:56 PM 7/12/07_

Lightning ran rampid through the air moments before thunder cracked viciously through the stillness. It was sudden and shocking but Bella found herself chuckling quietly. Afterall, how dangerous could the weather really be when you had a vampire for a boyfriend?


End file.
